Mechanism for effecting the between-needle movements of thread guides in warp-knitting machines



Nov. 20, 1934. E. KINSELLA ET AL 1,981,512

MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING THE BETWEEN NEEDLE MOVEMENTS OF THREAD GUIDES IN WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed 001;. 26, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 fin 4E0 Al/VJELLA Jo/nv 6- T Emma-o lrElsfl B INVENT R NOW 1934- E. KINSELLA El AL 1,931,512

MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING THE BETWEEN NEEDLE MOVEMENTS 0F THREAD GUIDES IN WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed 001?. 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1934- E. KINSELLA El" m. 1,981,512

' MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING THE BETWEEN NEEDLE MOVEMENTS OF THREAD GUIDES IN WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGIL Patented Nov. 20, 1934 MECHANISM FOR EFTECTING THE BE- TWEEN-NEEDLE MOVEMENTS OF THREAD GUIDES IN WARP-KNITTING MACHINES Edward Kinsella,

John Gordon Pratt,

and

Bernard Kelsall, Spondon, near Derby, England, v assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application October 26,

1932, Serial No. 639,633

In Great Britain November 3, 1931 17 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of textile fabrics, and more particularly to the production of knitted fabrics on warp-knitting machines.

The present invention is concerned with effecting the between-needle motion of the thread guides of such machines, and of the guide bars carrying the guides along the length of the machine in a direction at right angles to the guide bar, that is, with the motion which carries the guides through the needle spaces in both directions.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the oscillatory motions of the guides between the needles to be effected in a precise manner without imparting harmful vibrations to the machine which might give rise to deflections of the machine and of the knitting parts, resulting in bad knitting, or actual damage to the machine.

According to the present invention the mass comprising the guides and their supporting guide bar and associated parts are provided with one or more balance members which are given movement of such magnitude and angular velocity in the opposite sense to such mass as to provide substantially neutralizing forces equal and opposite to those forces acting on the machine structure which result from the movement ing forces must be distributed in the machine in a similar manner to the distribution of the operating forces. Conveniently a balancing member is arranged in connection with each.

such system, and is provided with a balancing mass corresponding to that of the guide and guide bar parts virtually operated by the said system. A system similar to the system of links employed for oscillating the guide bars is emplayed for the oscillation of each of the balancing masses, in order that the movements of the two systems and the forces arising therefrom may balance one another. The balancing levers and cams are placed alongside the levers and cams operating the guides, sothat the resultant couple is extremely small in magnitude.

The construction of guides and guide bars and means for securing the guide bars to their rocker and supporting arms are described in U: S. application S. Nos. 639.636 and 639,637 filed 00- tober 26, 1932. I I

The warp feed mechanism employed in association with the present invention may be of any suitable typebut is preferably the kind described in U. s. application S. No. 639,639 filed October 26, .1929, which is specially adapted for warp knitting machines working at a high speed.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that this description is given by way of example only and is in no respect limitative.

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of one of the frames of a warp knitting machine according to the present invention showing the supporting and driving mechanism for the thread guides;

Figure'2 shows balancing mechanism for the guide mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a modified detail of the mechanism shown in Figure 2;

Figures 4 and 5 show two views corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 and illustrate a slightly different form of mechanism;

Figure 6 is a large sectional view of part of the bar shown in Figure 1; and t Figure 7 is a rear view or a part of the maso chine according to the invention, showing the relationship of the mechanism with the otherv parts of the machine. 1

The machine comprises a number of frames 10 at the top of which are carried brackets 11 5 supporting two warp beams 12, 13 shown in dotted lines. Warp threads 14, 15 are drawn from the beams 12, 13 and pass over tension or feed bars 16, 1'7 pivoted to the bracket 11. l The warp threads 14, 15 proceed from the bars 16, 9'0 17 to the thread guides 19, 20 which conduct them to the needles 21 where they are knitted into the fabric by the inter-action of the guides 19, 20, needles 21, sinkers 22 and a presser bar 23.

In Figure 1, the connections of the guides 19, 5 20 to the shaft 28 about which they pivot are shown, the connection of the needles, sinkers, and presser bar being omitted for the sake of clearness. It will be observed however, that the 'sinkers 22 swing about the shaft 29' and the presser 23 about the shaft 30, while the needles 21 mounted in the needle bar 31 pivot about the shaft 33. The general arrangement and the driving and balancing of these knitting parts in their oscillatory movement about their shafts is described in U. S. applications. No. 639,638 filed October 26, 1932. g

The guides 19, 20 are mounted in guide bars 81, 82 extending the whole length of the machine and the guide bars 81, 82 are carried at bracket 85 and at its other end 90 to a lever 91..

The lever 91 is provided at its butt end 92 with two cam bowls 93 acting on opposite sides of a cam 94 mounted on a cam disc 95 rotating on the shaft 39, this arrangement being described in greater detail in U. S. application S. No. 639,63 filed October 26, 1932.

The butt end 92 of the lever 91 is in its for ward position, the rearward position being indicated by dotted lines. It will be observed that the bracket 85 is provided beyond the point 89 with a weight 99 for the purpose of shifting the effective centre of the mass of the guide bars 81, 82 and their associated parts, and the bracket 85 required to be moved by the cam 24, this .shifting being for a purpose hereinafter to be.

referred to.

In Figure 2 means for balancing the oscillations of the guide bars 81, 82 are shown, a weight 109 being provided on a bracket 102 which pivots freely on the shaft 28. The balance weight 109 is oscillated by means of a rod 104 connected to the bracket 102 at 105 and at its other end 106 to ure 1.

It will be seen that the lever 107 is inits rearward position, its forward position being shown by dotted lines, and the rearward position shown corresponds with the forward position of the lever 91 shown in Figure 1. Thus, the guides 19. 20 and guide bars 81, 82 are in their forward position about to move backwards while the weight 109 is in its rearward position'and is about to move forward. The rocker shaft 28 is provided with rocker arms 85 at intervals along its length (see Figure 7), so as to distribute the force required to move the guide bars 81, 82.

As above stated, the weight 99 is provided on the guide supporting and operating bracket -85 to shift the centre of gravity of the moving mass which can be regarded as concentrated at the bracket, this mass being made up of the proportionate length of guide bars carried byany particular bracket plus a proportion of the mass of the supporting brackets 160 (described later) lying intermediately of the operating brackets. By means of the weight 99, the mass to be balanced has its effective centre brought away from the space occupied by the warp sheets .and balancing is effected by means of a mass of similar magnitude having its centre of gravity at the and operating and supporting brackets regarded as concentrated at any particular operating bracket to be M1 and the distance of its cen e of gravity from the axis of shaft 28 to be 11 and the masses and radii of the weights 99 and 109,.to be M2, M3 and T2, T3 respectively, and also assuming that the path of the mass M1 to be rectilinear (in fact it is, of course, slightly curved), these quantities are related by the following equa tions:-

where a and b are the lengths of the projections of .the radii 1'2, 1'3 on the' radial line passing through the centre of gravity of the mass M and the axis of the shaft 28.

M1, 11 are fixed; M2 and/or n can be chosen more or less arbitrarily; while T3 is largely determined by the space available for the balanceweight 109 behind the rear sheet of warps, M2 and/or 7'2 also depending on the value which can be given to n. Conveniently, m as well as r; is given a definite value, leaving the equations to be solved for the values of the masses M2, M3. rectilinearly, whereas it follows a short curved path in oscillating about the axis of the shaft 28 does not affect the validity of the above equations in enabling a balancing to'be effected which is sufficient for practical purposes.

Not only is the effective radius of the balancing mass M3 largely circumscribed in position but also the cross-section of the mass. The balance weight 109 can, however, be extended as required lengthwise of the machine to bring the mass to the correct value.

With the weights 99, 109 given the masses computed in the above manner in accordance with the disposition of the weights relative to the position of mass to be balanced, vibrationproducing forces acting on the machine frame through the rocker and cam shafts can be reduced, to a very small value. The cams 91 and The assumption that the mass M1 moves 110 are so designed that the necessary complementary movements are obtained.

' The weight 109 shown in Figure 2 is designed to balance a middle section of the guide bars and it will be seen that the shape of the weight is notched on opposite sides at 111 and 112. The notch 111 enables the weight to clear the upper rearward edge of the guide bar 82 with which it operates in close proximity, while the notch 112 is provided for purposes of symmetry in order that the centre of gravity of the mass 109 and the amount of balancing material to be employed may be readily determined. 1

At the ends of the machine somewhat lighter commodated. A simpler and lighter form of weight for this purpose is shown in Figure 3, a

plain symmetrical weight 115 being provided on a bracket 114 pivoting about the shaft 28. The Y balancing masses can be conveniently formed by running heavy metal such as lead into cavities in the balance arms.

Figures 4 and 5 show views of a different form of guide operating mechanism, the extent of the view being similar to that of Figure 2,-while their matter corresponds to that of Figures 1 and 2 respectively. In Figure 4 the flat springs 83, 84 are mounted on a bracket 120 of somewhat diflid ferent form from the bracket 85 of Figure 1. The bracket 120, is provided with a" weight 99- which is pivoted a link 122. The other end of the link 122 is adjustably connected at 123 to a lever 124, a slot 125 and bolt 126 being provided for the attachment of the pivot 123. The lever 124 swings about the shaft 33 and is provided at its butt end 130 with cam bowls 131.

The cam bowls 131 act on opposite sides of the cam 94 mounted on a cam disc 95 rotating about the shaft 39. The guides 19, 20 in Figure 4 are in their forward position as in Figure 1, and the butt 130 of the lever 124 in its most rearward position. The forward position is shown in dotted lines.

In Figure 5 means for balancing the mechanism shown in Figure 4 is illustrated. In this figure the balancing weight 135 depending from the shaft 28 is connected at 136 to a link 137 whose other end ,138 is adjustably connected to a lever 139. The link 137, connection 138, and lever 139 are similar in form to the link 122, connection 123 and. lever 124 in Figure 4. The butt end 140 of the lower 139 is provided with cam bowls 141 which engage on opposite sides of the cam 110 on the opposite side cam disc 95 in the cam 94. The weight 135 is in its rearward position to correspond with the forward position of the guides 19, 20 as described with reference to Figure 1, so that the butt end of the lever 139 is in its forward position, the rearward position being shown in dotted lines. In Figure 5, the guide bars 81, 82 and the balance weight 135 are about to move towards each other, and the notches 111, 112 enable the weight 135 to clear the nearer bar and give the weight symmetry for the purpose mentioned above.

The connection ofthe guides 19, 29 to the bars 81, 82 is shown in detail in Figure 8. The guides 19, 20 are formed into sections as described in U. S. application S. No. 639,837 filed Gctober 28, 1932, and are secured to the lower ends of the guide bars 81, 82. The upper ends of the guide bars 81, 82 are connected by means of bolts and nuts 142, 1&3 to brackets 1%, 145 at the lower ends of fiat springs 83, 84, which are reinforced in the middle by means of iiat= tish pyramidal plates 1 .7, 198. The plates 1 27, 148 impart rigidity to the springs 83, 8 in a direction transverse to the bars 81, 82, while permitting them to flex near their ends, the bars thus being capable of swinging in. a lengthwise direction while being firmly carried by the brackets 85. The springs 83, 8a are secured to the bracket by means described in U. S.

application S. No. 839,532, filed October 26,

1932, now Patent No. 1,969,759, screws 150, 1.51 being provided for the angular adjustment of the guides about the pivots 153, while screws 152 are adapted to adjust the guides in the direction of the length of the springs 83, 842, that is in a direction substantially vertical. In this figure part of the bracket 85 is broken away at 154; in order to show the details of corn nection 89.

The adjustment of the guide bars about the pivots 153 allows for the position of the guides 19, 20 to be regulated with respect to the needles 21, while the field of traverse of the guides relative to the needles can be regulated by adjustment of the pivot connections and 123 in Figures 1 and 4 respectively. Of course,

the actual distance through which the guides move is controlled by the cam 9 Figure 7 is a rear view of one-half of a knitting machine provided with guide balancing means according to the invention. The machine I comprises vertical frames 10 of the kind shown in Figure 1, these frames being rigidly connected together by means of. girder sections 9, the section of whose members is shown at 9'.

The guides are driven by means of swinging brackets 85 mounted on the shaft 28 and oscillated as described with reference to Figure 1 by means of rods 88 connecting the brackets 85 and levers 91. The cam bowls 92, 93 on the butt ends of the levers 91 engage with cams 94 mounted on cam discs 95. In each case, only the cam bowl 92 is visible in Figure 7, the bowl 93 being inside the cam 94.

The guide bars and guides are for the most part omitted except towards the right hand end of the figure where a small section of the guide bar 82 is shown with guides 29 mounted thereon in sections indicated at 161. This figure also shows a spring blade 84 for connecting the guide bar 82 to an intermediate guide bracket 160 keyed to the shaft 28. The guide bards connected to other intermediate brackets 160 and to the driving brackets 85 in a similar manner along the whole length of the machine, thus adequately supporting the bar.

Balancing of the forces arising in producing oscillation of the guides between the needles is effected by means of balance weights 109, 115 carried on brackets loose on the shaft 28 and oscillated by means of rods 10% and actuating levers 107 similar to the rods 88 and levers 91 employed to oscillate the guide bars.- The cam bowls 108 on the levers 107 engage with the cams mounted on the side of the cam discs 95 opposite to the cams 94. The cams 94, 110 are designed in such a manner that the forces arising from the oscillation of the guide bar under the influence of the cam 94 are balanced by the forces arising from the oscillation of the weights 199, under the influence of the cams 119. A balance weight 109 is employed in mid dle sections of the machine which is heavier than the weight 115 employed. at the ends, since the weights at the ends have only to balance guide bars at one side of them, and therefore are not'required to balance so great a mass as the centre weights.

The main cam shaft 39 of the machine which carries the earn-discs 95 is driven at a point near the middle of the machine by means of a belt l89 and pulley 191 from a motor 182. The shaft 39 carries all thecams oi the machine effecting motion of the knitting parts in a plane at right angles to the length of the machine. On the extreme left is the cam disc 95 carrying the guide operating and guide balance cams as, 119. To'the right of these is the cam disc 38 carrying the needle operating cam 37 and the needle balance cam 47, these cams operating upon the levers 32, .93 respectively, which swing on the shaft 33. To the right again lies the cam disc 72 carrying the presser operating cam 71 and the presser balance cam 79. These cams act on the presser rocker arm 67 and the presser balance arm 75 respectively, these arms being pivoted on a shaft 30. To the right of the presser cam lies the cam disc 55 carrying the cam 59 operating the sinker rocker arm 50 and the cam 82 operating the sinker balance arm 59, both of these arms swinging upon the shaft 29 which in this figure is concealed by a cam shaft 39. To the right again, and next to the intermediate frame 10 the needle operat-- nism of the present invention recur on the right hand side of the second vertical frame 10. The mechanisms referred to repeat subsequently in the following order.

After the second guide operating mechanism comes the third needle operating and balance mechanism and then the second presser operating and balance mechanism, followed by the second sinker operating and balance mechanism which is next to the driving pulley 179 driving the cam shaft 39. Similar arrangements are made in the remaining half of the machine. The driving and balancing mechanisms for the needles, sinkers, and presser are described in greater detail in U.'S. application S. No. 639,- 638 vfiled October 26, 1932.

The shaft 33 is broken away in the middle of the left hand section of the figure in order to show the needlesy21 mounted on the needle bar 31 which is carried by the needle rocker arm 32 broken away and shown in section at 160. At 66 the presser bar is shown carrying the presser 23, the armcarrying' the presser bar being shown in section at 190. To the right a section of the sinker bar 51 is' illustrated. At 163 and 164 respectively are shown intermediate needle bar supporting arms and presser bar supporting arms. These arms merely serve to carry the needle bar and not to operate it. The lower ends of three non driven presser arm supporting levers are shown at 170 secured to the shaft 30. At the left of the machine is shown a cam box 212 containing cams described in U. S. application 8. No. 639,631 filed Oct. 26, 1932 for the purpose of oscillating guides in their lapping motion along the length of the needle bar.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a warp-knitting machine, a thread-guide bar, operating means therefor, means adapted to balance said guide bar, and operating means adapted to impart to said balancing means such movements of opposite sense to those of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancingsubstantially neu- "of members adapted to balance the guide bar,-

and driving means in connection with said balancing members adapted to impart thereto such movements of opposite sense to the betweenneedle movements of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other.

3. In a warp-knitting machine, thread-guide operating and balancing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the balancing members and driving means therefor are equal in numberto and disposed close to their respective driving.

and supporting members forthe guide bar, so as to reduce to a minimum the couples resulting from the forces involved in driving the threadthread-guides, a bar carrying said guides, a plurality of operating and supporting members for i said bar, driving means in connection with said operating and supporting members adapted to impart between-needle movements to the threadguides, a plurality of members respectively adjacent to said operating and supporting members each being weighted to balance the mass of the thread-guides and guide bar supported by the adjacent driving member, and driving means in connection with each balancing member adapted to impart thereto such movements of opposite sense to the between-needle movements of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other.

5. In a warp-knitting machine, a thread-guide bar, an operating cam adapted to impart between-needle movements to the guides on said bar, balancing means for the guide bar, and an operating cam adapted to impart such movements of opposite sense to the between-needle movements of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other, the respective operating cams being mounted close together on a common driven member so as to minimize the couple arising from such forces.

6. In a warp-knitting machine, needle, sinker, presser, and guide-bars, operating cams adapted to impart oscillatory movements to the respective bars, balancing means in connection with each bar, operating cams adapted to impartto said balancing means such movements of opposite sense to those of their respective bars that the said bars and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other, and a cam-shaft, said cams being mounted on said cam-shaft-in pairs of which one'cam is a bar-operating cam and the other a balancing means operating cam for that particular bar.

7. In a warp-knitting machine, a series of thread-guides, .at least one cam having two operating surfaces, connecting means between said' cam and thread-guides and having a cam-follower engaging one cam surface to impart an oscillatory movement to the guides in one direction and a second follower engaging the other cam to impart motion to the guides in the other direction, balancing means for the thread-guides, and at least one cam for producing in the balancing means such movements of opposite sense to those of the guide bar that the guide bar and balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other, said cam having two operating surfaces for respective engagement with the cam followers similar to those of the guide operatingmechanism.

8. In a warp-knitting machine, a thread-guide bar, a plurality of supporting members for said bar, driving means for certain of said supporting members, and balance means and driving means therefor in connection with each of the driven supporting members of the guide bar, the driving means for said balancing means imparting theretosuch movements of opposite sense to those of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other.

9. In a warp-knitting machine, needle, sinker, I

presser, and guide bars, operating and supporting levers carrying said bars, balance means in connection with each bar, said balance means comprising a weighted lever corresponding to the operating levers of the respective bars, a cam shaft, cams thereon engaging directly the op--v erating levers of the needle, sinker, and presser bars and the balance levers for the said bars, and further cams on the shaft in indirect connection with the operating levers of the guide bar and the balance levers for said bar, the balance means operating cams imparting such movements of opposite sense to those of their respective bars that the said bars and the bal ancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other and the movements of all the bars and balance means being derived from the one cam-shaft.

10. In a warp-knitting machine, a threadguide bar, driving means adapted to impart between-needle movements to the guides on said bar, a Weight adapted to partake of the angular movements of said bar, balance means for the said bar and weight, and driving means adapted to impart such angular movements of opposite sense to the between-needle movements of the guide bar that the guide bar and the balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other the balance means comprising a weight which, by reason of the additional weight partaking of the guide-bar movements, has a field of movement clear of the guide-bar mechanism and of the threads proceeding to the guides.

11. In a warp knitting machine, a thread guide bar, operating means adapted to impart oscillatory between-needle movements thereto, means adapted to balance said guide bar, and operating means adapted to impart to said balancing means such movements of opposite sense to the between-needle movements of the guide bar that the guide bar and balancing means produce forces which substantially neutralize each other.

12. In a warp knitting machine, a thread guide bar, operating means therefor, means adapted to balance said guide bar and means adapted to impart to said balancing means angular movements equal and opposite to those of the guide bar, said balancing means being of such weight and proportions as to produce forces which sub- 1sotantially neutralize those produced by said guide ar.

13. In a warp knitting machine, a series of thread guides, a bar carrying said guides, a p1u-. rality of operating and supporting members for said bar, driving means in connection with said operating and supporting members adapted to impart between-needle movements to the thread guides, a plurality of weighted balancing members respectively adjacent to said operating and supporting members, and driving means in connection with each balancing member adapted to impart thereto angular motions equal and opposite to the between-needle movements of the guide bar, each balancing member being so weighted as to produce forces which substantially neutralize those produced in the adjacent operating and supporting member by the guide bar.

14. In a warp knitting machine, a series of thread guides, a bar carrying said guides, and operating cam adapted to impart between-needle movements to said thread guides, balancing means for said bar, and an operating cam adapted to impart to the balancing means angular movements equal and opposite to the between-needle movements of said bar, the balancing means being of such weight and proportions as to produce forces which substantially neutralize those produced by said bar, the respective operating cams being mounted close together on a common driven member so as to minimize the couple arising from such forces.

15. In a warp knitting machine, needle, sinker, presser, and guide bars, operating cams adapted to impart oscillatory movements to the respective bars, balancing means in connection with each bar, operating cams adapted to impart to said balancing means angular movements equal and opposite to those of their respective bars, said balancing means being of such weights and proportions as to produce forces which balance those produced by their respective bars, and a cam shaft, said cams being mounted on said cam shaft in pairs of which one cam is a bar-operating cam and the other a balancing means operating cam for that particular bar.

16. In a warp knitting machine, needle, sinker, presser, and guide bars, operating and supporting levers carrying said bars, balance means in connection with each bar, said balance means comprising a weighted lever correspondingto the operating levers of the respective bars, a cam shaft, cams thereon engaging directly the operating levers of the needle, sinker, and presser bars and the balance levers for the said bars, and further cams on' the shaft in indirect connection with the operating levers of the guide bar and the balance levers for said guide bar, the balance means operating cams imparting to their respective balancing means angular motions equal and opposite to those of their respective bars, said balancing means being of such weights and proportions as to produce forces which substantially neutralize those produced by their respective bars, the movements of all the bars and balance means being derived from the one cam shaft.

17. In a warp knitting machine, a bar having thread guides thereon, driving means adapted to impart between-needle movements to the guides on said bar, a weight adapted to partake of the angular movements of said bar, balance means for the said bar and weight, and driving means adapted to impart to the balance means angular movements equal and opposite to the betweenneedle movements of said bar, said balance means comprising a weight which, by reason of the additional weight partaking of the-bar movements, has a field of movement clear of the bar mechanism and of the threads proceeding to the 

